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Nat GEO Savage Kingdom, the fight for survival starts tonight

NatGeo is billing the network’s new series “Savage Kingdom” as the ‘Game of Thrones’ of African Wildlife, and the connections start with the cast. The most obvious parallel to HBO’s popular drama-series is the NatGeo narrator, Charles Dance, who ‘Game of Thrones’ fans know as as Tywin Lannister of House Lannister.

The new NatGeo event follows several popular species found within the African safari, following them as they hunt, escape, breed and survive the harsh landscape. Told over three-parts, the show also carries a terrific message of how important it is that we join, and support, the communities that are trying to save these wonderful creatures from poachers and other manmade dangers.

In the first episode, “Clash of Queens,” the network explains, “The lioness Matsumi has ascended the throne to become Queen of the Marsh Pride, but her power is threatened by another alpha female in the Savage Kingdom: Saba the leopard.” The network added, “It’s a clash of queens as Matsumi and Saba fight for the survival of their bloodlines.”

Executive Vice President of Nat Geo WILD Geoff Daniels said in a statement, “When we developed the series, we immediately saw the parallels between the battle for power in George R.R. Martin’s fictional world and the vicious fight for survival in the animal kingdom.”

The series will also be the perfect opportunity to show off that new 4K TV or 4K monitor that you have. “Savage Kingdom” was shot in 4K, all of it. The team behind the new series spent over a year tracking down these beautiful creatures, creating the thrilling narrative that will be told over the next few episodes.

If you stick with the Game of Thrones comparison, the houses doing battle in the show are the Lions, the Hyenas, the Wild Dogs and the Leopards. The show tells of the trials and dangers that each of the species face, offering you a glimpse of their day-to-day struggles before they start to intertwine on the savanna. Even if you have a favorite going in, it’s hard not to connect with each of the four stories. You can watch a trailer for the show below, featuring a moment with the Leopards, you can also watch clips from the series on the NatGeo Wild official YouTube Channel.

Make sure you set a reminder for “Clash of Queens,” tonight (Friday) starting at 9/8c on Nat Geo WILD.